Stinky at the Prickly Pear

Cathy's view


We like Prickly Pear. It has a great assortment of Southwestern items, freshly prepared with lots of veggies and minimal fat. The salsa is chunky and very fresh. One of my favorites is the spinach and cheese enchilada. Unlike a lot of places, we can order it very simply (without a lot of sides or extra helpings) and it's still a great, filling lunch.

Except today. Well, the food and service were just as great. But about halfway through, there was a growing smell. Then stench. At first I thought it might have been an odd order at a nearby table. But then it got worse -- clearly methane. No longer able to eat, I grabbed my glove to make breathing easier. Our (wonderful) wait person walked by and I asked her what was the smell. She said they had a plumbing issue and were trying to fix it themselves.

Seriously? During lunch hour?

To her credit, she went back to the kitchen and probably talked to the manager. She opened the front door and and turned on the ventilation. It was much better, but not good. I took half of my enchilada -- which was delicious -- back to work to eat later when I wasn't sickened.

You can do better, Prickly. We aren't gonna stop going, but we are going to check you out before we go back. We love you.

Get a plumber.

Dan's View


We've been here several times and have always enjoyed the food, so to be fair we caught them on a bad day.  Having said that, however, I must say that the bathrooms (which are downstairs) could use a little work.  It's probably not a good thing to talk about stinky plumbing and then dive into a discussion of food.  So.  Clear your head, take a few clean, deep breaths, and let's proceed.

The one thing that really sticks out on my mind about Prickly Pear is the large portion sizes -- and I'm talking lunch menu here.  Many of the dishes come with a very generous side of black beans and rice, so if you add that on top of the 2 enchiladas, chips.and salsa, You'll have enough leftovers for tomorrows lunch for you and your dogs. Recently we either split a full entree (which is quite sufficient for my large appetite) or get a half order (which still comes with side dishes) or something ala carte.

Cheese and Spinach Enchilada -- Half of one order!

I enjoy the sauteed chicken sopa, which has large portabella mushroom slices in some sort of a gravy, with a crumbly corn sopa to soak it up with.  When I'm feeling less carnivorous, I have their organic greens that are tossed in a herb-pepper-wine vinaigrette along with dried cherries, tomatoes, and anejo.cheese (mild).  I'm not very fond of their salsa.  I find it too bland (please note that I have a very high tolerance and desire for spicy food)...almost what you'd find in a ceviche.

Even with it's shortcomings, there's plenty to choose from and pretty easy on your wallet.

Cathy's response
I LOVE the salsa! Big flavors and big chunks of tomato, onion, jalapeño. It's not boiled so is not HOT, but it's crisply tangy and refreshing. This is my favorite kind of salsa. If you grew up on jarred, you'll probably agree with Dan. If you grew up like me -- all fresh cooked all the time -- you'll probably love this salsa.

Update from Prickly Pear
We're happy to inform you that the nasty plumbing problem has been resolved.